Conference calls on the Westminster Government and the three devolved administrations to recognise and accept their responsibility for providing a quality, safe and healthy food environment for its patients, staff and visitors. It is further recognised that when a patient is recuperating, food is often a make or break experience in terms of morale during […]
Conference motions
The public sector cuts, austerity measures, top down reorganisations and increasing privatisation in the NHS have had an unprecedented negative impact on NHS employees, with increasing numbers leaving the NHS to escape from bullying, harassment, intimidation and fear. Those who are left in the workplace are experiencing an increase in stress as work pressures mount […]
Conference notes that UNISON has done much good work to defend the jobs, and terms and conditions of members in the National Health Service (NHS), through national and local negotiations, as well as campaigning to defend the NHS itself. Conference further notes that it is the public service nature of the NHS which has been […]
Conference notes with concern the impact that staffing shortages in the NHS are having on workers’ lives. In particular, staffing shortages can impact on: 1)Flexible working requests not being accommodated by employers. 2)Staff with existing non-standard working patterns being pressurised into changing their working hours, which could create problems with care arrangements and other home […]
Over 30,000 jobs have been lost in the NHS since the current government took office and at the same time, they have put in place a pay freeze for NHS staff between 2011 and 2013, and following on from that, caps on any pay award in the public sector at an average of 1% increase […]
Conference notes that for several years NHS staff have seen their pay squeezed by more than 10% in real terms. Two years of a virtual pay freeze were followed by a miserable 1% for 2013. Since 2010 essential living costs have increased out of all proportion to our members’ pay. Electricity prices have jumped by […]
Conference notes that the now defunct South West Pay Cartel advised member trusts to consider ‘alternative employment vehicles’ as one of a number of what they called ‘pay optimisers’ to cut NHS pay and conditions of employment. Conference further notes that one trust in the South West recently set up their own private company, of […]
Conference notes that the NHS South of England recently promoted an apprenticeship programme for employers looking at recruiting staff into bands 1 to 4. Their ‘NHS Manager’s Guide’ suggested a number of options for NHS Trusts to employ new ‘apprentices’ without them having to employ staff at the bottom of the appropriate pay band including: […]
This conference notes the insidious spread of zero-hours contracts in the community and voluntary sector, and in housing associations in particular. UNISON’s survey of Community members found that 9% were on zero hours contracts, but it is likely that this underestimates the true scale of the problem as it is hard to organise workers on […]
This Conference notes: • The living wage is now set at £7.65 an hour and £8.80 in London. • By comparison, the national minimum wage is £6.31 an hour for adults and £5.03 for those aged 18 to 21. • That the national government and administrations of devolved nations pay their staff the living wage. […]
Conference notes that TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection in Employment Regulations) has maintained hard won employment terms and conditions and the protection from discrimination in the community sector, with sound public sector equality policies and procedures. TUPE means that the new employer “steps into the shoes” of the old employer and is bound by the […]
Conference notes a key finding of the report in the abuse at Winterbourne View Hospital was that the staff were not properly trained. Training is a key issue for Care. Often training is not provided, or is adhoc and/or inadequate. Furthermore, increasingly, more and more training is delivered as online courses whereby it is not […]
Conference currently local councils are setting budgets with substantial cuts in “Supporting People” funding. This is having a devastating effect on our member’s terms and conditions; removal of post TUPE enhancements for weekend working, Bank Holiday and Night Waking, sickness absence entitlements reduced from six months full pay, six months half pay to two months […]
Conference notes the importance of involving members of self organised groups in community branch activities including recruiting, organising, bargaining and negotiating. Members of self organised groups are a valuable resource to the community service group with experience and knowledge of how employers’ policies and procedures can fail to be inclusive. Conference further notes that while […]
The current government’s austerity measures continue to have a disproportionate impact on Black communities and the Black voluntary and community sector. Research in 2010 on the ‘Voice for Change’ website found that 45% of community organisations providing services specifically for Black communities experienced cuts to funding. This unprecedented threat to the survival of Black community […]